According to the Attorney General’s Office, police fatally shot a man on Friday who had been pressing a knife to a woman’s throat before officers fired.
The supplemental information released Saturday clarifies the identity of the woman seen lying on the ground in the video provided to BreakingAC; she was transported to a hospital with multiple stab wounds, the office reported.
The confrontation began at approximately 10:21 a.m. when Middle Township police arrived at a disabled vehicle at the intersection of Route 9 and Satto Boulevard in the Rio Grande section of the township, the Attorney General’s Office stated.
As officers approached, they heard screams emanating from inside the vehicle and forced entry, the report indicated.
Witnesses observed the man holding a knife to the woman’s throat.
Two officers discharged their firearms, striking the man, who was subsequently pronounced dead.
The video previously disseminated by BreakingAC shows an officer performing chest compressions on the victim.
A bystander can be heard commenting, “Look, they’re trying to save his life. They’re pumping him, bro,” while recording the scene.
The Attorney General’s Office has not released any names; however, a GoFundMe campaign created by the victim’s sister, Vienna Smith, identifies the deceased as Andre Moore.
In her appeal, Smith wrote, “Sadly my baby brother’s life was taken by Middle Township Police Department. He was the father of six children, a son, a sibling and a friend. He suffered from mental illness and was let down by the system after calling out for help twice. The last attempt for help was not even a month ago. Despite his internal battles, he still had as big as anyone.”
The identity of the woman accompanying him remains unknown.
A Facebook post from the New Jersey State Police on Friday referred to “the victim who was being attacked when the officers stopped the attack.”
Under N.J.S.A. 52:17B‑107(a)(2), a 2019 statute mandates that the Attorney General’s Office investigate any death occurring during an encounter with a law‑enforcement officer acting in an official capacity or while the deceased is in custody, and present the findings to a grand jury to determine whether an indictment is warranted.
Additional details regarding the investigation of fatal police encounters in New Jersey under the Independent Prosecutor Directive are available.